The Journal Of A Maiko
by Ngoc Chau
Summary: My tale began in the Gion. From there I was thrown into the willow world of romance, deceit, and mystery. I was going to be a geisha. OC
1. I was a whore

**Disclaimer: Ngoc Chau does not own Memoirs Of A Geisha**

* * *

_I had become a geisha long after the war was over. I lived in the okiya in Kyoto with my younger sister, who had become the aoitori at the tender age of 6. _

_But, I did not live in Kyoto all my life, one would never think that this young geisha had been a poor farmer girl. I had never been the most prettiest or refined when I was young, but considering what I had to do in my life, you would never know. _

_It was as soon as my new life started, I started to keep a journal. _

_This is my story. _

_The journal of a Maiko._

* * *

A rolling cart pulled 2 young girls into the Gion District. They were pushed out into the wet snow in their clogs which were ripping at the straps already. Their ragged clothing was splashed on with dirty snow. The driver pulled them out roughly by their wrists and dragged them inside a small building.

* * *

They were marched out to a room with many women looking at them.

They brought out the first one, the oldest. She had long black hair that covered most of her face. She had already entered teen and was a fair beauty. They looked at this girl's face and said in disgust, "She's pretty, but not enough to be a geisha. Bring her younger sister. Maybe she will be a better prospect." They pushed the oldest out of the way and pulled the youngest into the crowd.

They looked at her and studied all her features. She had short hazel hair and light brown eyes. Her skin was fair like the moon. Her beauty had even made the ragged dress she wore look as though it was a gown. She was still small, no more than 6 years old.

The women gave a devious smile and told the driver of the cart. "We'll take this one." The man looked at the oldest and asked, "Why don't you take this one too." he pointed to the first girl " They are both sisters and their parents requested that they be sold together. Anyway, she could always be a maid."

The women looked at her in a mean way and retorted, "Why should we take another girl? We already have more than we need." They walked off down the street with her little sister, who had no idea what was going on, and in no more than a few moments later, another set of women came to look at the eldest girl.

This set of women looked quite prosperous, but the kimonos they wore looked different from the other group. They had their obis in the back and an air of dignity and purity surrounded them. These women had their obis in the front and looked...sleazy.

But still, they had a more laid-back look in their eyes.

They had her step into a seperate room and strip off all her clothes to see if she was still healthy and still had her virginity. '_What are they doing this for?'_ The young girl questioned harshly in her mind.  
After they were done, they put her clothes back on and went back out to the other room.

They told the driver their desicion to buy the young girl and gave him a check. "We'll take her. She should be a nice feature. Still so young, the costumers should like that."

The young girl already had a bad feeling from how the women looked. They had pretty silk kimonos on like the other women, but their obis in the front.  
It was clear, she had always heard her mother say this.  
These women were all courtesans, prostitutes.

And now she had been sold to a brothel, also known as A House of Pleasure.

* * *

When she arrived in the large house, she saw men, old and young, coming out of rooms with sake on their breaths and the smell of perfume and sweat on their skin. She heard young girls crying and screaming, just hoping that the costumer of their nightmare wouldn't come back.

Her parents had left the world to send her to hell.

All she could do now was hope for the best. Her buyers dropped her off in room filled with trunks of clothing and boxes on shelves and told her to put on a kimono. She did, but she didn't want to do it.

She hid inside one of the trunks. '_It's better if I die.' _She thought to herself as she hid in tears and fear. _'Why did they curse me like that. I wish I was never born.'_  
She just lied there, crouched in a trunk, crying. Just hoping this was all some sort of dream.

She closed her eyes and slept. She didn't know for how long, but it seemed like a long time. She must've stayed hidden in there for hours. She heard one of the courtesans coming in. "Yoo-hoo! Where are you, little one? Mother wants you to eat now."

She still stayed hidden.  
It could've been a trick.

She looked up from the opening of the trunk, only to be greeted by a face of an angel. She stood up immediately and continued to stare.

She was just so beautiful. Her face was white, but not from make-up. She looked pale in a sort of healthy way. Her hair was still tied up but looked ruffled. Her lips were deep red and her cheeks were rosy. The young courtesen outstretched her hand and said sweetly, "Aren't you hungry now? Everyone is waiting for you."

The young girl grabbed the woman's hand and crawled out. She held on tightly and walked over to the kitchen with the young woman. The young woman gave a small smile and said, "My name is Shiyoka. What is your name, little one?"

The young girl looked like she was trying to remember what her name could possibly be.

"My name is Kiyoko."

* * *

The 2 walked to the kitchen room and Kiyoko was surprised to see a man with his pants down. She hid behind Shiyoka and asked "Why isn't that man wearing any britches? Is he too poor?" Shiyoka looked at the young girl who was hiding behind her silk kimono.

"No, he is not poor. This is how we must get into the kitchen to eat. You don't have to worry, just close your eyes when I kneel in front of him and don't open them until I tell you to." Shiyoka told her.  
The little girl nodded and looked ahead, she saw the other courtesans kneeling in front of him and their heads would bob up and down.

When it was her new friend's turn to kneel in front of the man at the door, she looked away and closed her eyes. The wait felt longer for her friend than it did for the other women, finally she felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes. She saw that Shiyoka's red lipstick was more faded than it was before and she looked disgusted, like she had eaten moldy fruit.

Shiyoka took Kiyoko's hand and led her into the kitchen. Dinner was certainly extravagant...

* * *

_The days were quite blissful, if one didn't think about my situation then_.  
_I was protected by my older sister, Shiyoka, in the house. She wasn't my real sister but we treated each other like sisters. __When the patrons came, she would put me into hiding, at first I had questioned her kindness. _

_But later on, I had learned that she had a little sister with the same name as I did and she, too, was sold into a House Of Pleasure. Although they had been separated by distance, they were still able to keep in touch. It was only a few years after, when her little sister was 15, she had died from one of the diseases she caught from her patrons. _

_I believed that she wanted to save me from the same fate. _

_However, my luck had ended._

* * *

"I can't believe Nee-san had to leave, why couldn't she stay here?" Kiyoko asked one of the courtesans who was looking intently at her reflection in the mirror.  
The courtesan looked back at her and put her hand out "Her client wanted her at his place. He couldn't take it if his wife hired another investigator to follow him to the brothel. Can you pass me the pin over there?"

Kiyoko stood up and picked up a sakura pin and ran back to the courtesan. She looked at the pin and demanded back, "Not this one, it's the wisteria one!" Kiyoko ran right back to the box and picked up a violet wisteria hair pin. The courtesan slid it into her ornamented hairstyle and stepped up with a small perfumed box under her sleeve.

She stepped out of the room with a young _virgin _girl following after her. She trailed after the walking courtesan to the front of the house. The courtesan sat in a row with other women and Kiyoko sat right beside her, talking about what had happened in the house a few days ago involving a rat and the servant boys.

Before she even realized what Shiyoka had always warned her about, the curtain opened, revealing an assortment of leering men.

Kiyoko had always hid when this time came with Shiyoka around. This time she had forgotten the drill. She tried to get up to run away, but another woman who was watching the young girl squirm held onto her shoulders, not letting her go. "Don't even try to run. It's time you earn your keep." The woman sneered under her breath.

Tears started to run and a lech had such a fetish for young girls. He walked up to the house mother and pointed at her, "That one," he said in a happy tone, "The little one in the yukata." The house mother told the man to go ahead to a room and wait for the young girl to come. The man eagerly nodded and went off to get ready.

Kiyoko looked around in a nervous sweat, this was certainly going to be bad. _'What have I gotten myself into? What do I do? Where's Shiyoka?'_ All these questions screeched in Kiyoko's mind.

* * *

This was her first time wearing a kimono, but she certainly didn't feel happy. While all of the other 'sisters' helped her get dressed, she heard one of them joke "Why should she get dressed up when it's all going to come off in a few minutes anyway?"

She took a look into the mirror and was shocked and amazed to see how she looked. She was exactly like her father had always told her. She was a canvas, all she needed was a little paint to make herself look a little nicer. Her mother had always scolded her father for saying that to her.

She walked with as much poise as she could, seeing all the other girls and learning from them. She felt proud in a strange way when she walked down the halls and all of the male patron gazed at her with such a look in their eyes. Then she remembered that these men were scum.

So she shot them the coldest glare she could, but it only made things worse. She could hear them running towards the house mother.

Could things go even more horribly wrong?!

* * *

She arrived in the room. Their wasn't anything there really, except for a soft bed and a few bottles of sake. She saw the man was actually more handsome up close. He had a few wrinkles, but if he had been much younger, she would've considered him handsome.

He sat on the bed, with a thin robe on and he motioned her over to the bed. Her back was at the door, her hands on the handle.

She shook her head and stayed close to the door, ready to run if she had to. He stood up and walked towards her. It looked like he was trying to keep his cool, but walking slowly didn't do anything that much to hide his libido.

The cold sweat on his brow and the tent rising in his legs already told more than Kiyoko wanted to know. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and undid the most of her hairdo. Whatever knot he came to. He would just stroke over it looking for another pin that might have been holding her long hair up.

When he finished as much as he could, he brought himself closer. Kiyoko closed her legs even tighter, for she feared that she would probably wet her pants from fear if she didn't. The man brought his nose to the crook of her kimono and inhaled.

Just from the act, she had never felt so disgusted with man.  
She tried to push him away, but he was stronger than she thought.

"Stop!!" she screamed.

She pushed against the door and ran into the hallways. The other girls were watching but none didn't do anything to stop it. She screamed out as she ran, "Where's Shiyoka?!" Some answers came at her.

"She's coming!"  
"Just do your job!"  
"She's still working!"

Everybody just watched. She ran towards the door, swinging her arms all around. The man who was still after her held onto her kimono obi and tried to pull her away. All of a sudden, an arm slapped the man away. Kiyoko fell to the ground, her head crashed against the doorway.

She saw her one savior, Shiyoka.

Shiyoka stood tall and fearsome. She was practically putting her life in danger just from protecting her, but she went even farther. She grabbed Kiyoko's hand and took her into their room. She took all the ornaments off and the other outer kimonos till all there was, was a thin cotton dress to sleep in.

She made sure the door was locked and she wrapped the futon sheets around Kiyoko. "What were you thinking?! Do you want to be raped? Why weren't you hiding?!" It looked like she was going to slap her but she just hugged her and kept sobbing "Thank Kami you're just fine! Everybody was telling me that this was your first costumer..."

A sudden knocking came at the door, the 2 females feared that it was the head of the House. She would punish them both for interfering and not doing their jobs.

But the door knocked and a little voice came from the other side "Kiyo-neesan!" Kiyoko just stopped and stood up. "That's my sister." she kept saying. She walked over to the sliding door and opened it.

There was her little sister, all happy and clad in a fine kimono. "You're coming home!" her little sister squealed. Everybody was surprised. Except for the head of the House and the other women who were accompanying the little girl.

* * *

**What could be happening next for Kiyoko? Please review.**


	2. The LifeChanging Afternoon

**Disclaimer; Ngoc Chau does not own Memoirs Of A Geisha.**

**To kinda clear something and to help me remember, the year in this fanfic is 1950, or around that year. Some songs I might include won't even exist in that era, but I just wanted to put it in because it'll kinda progress the story forward. But you can't blame me for twisting reality, I'm just 13 years old and this is a fanfic.**

* * *

_Previously_

_A sudden knocking came at the door, the 2 females feared that it was the head of the House. She would punish them both for interfering and not doing their jobs._

_But the door knocked and a little voice came from the other side "Kiyo-neesan!" Kiyoko just stopped and stood up. "That's my sister." she kept saying. She walked over to the sliding door and opened it._

_There was her little sister, all happy and clad in a fine kimono. "You're coming home!" her little sister squealed. Everybody was surprised. Except for the head of the House and the other women who were accompanying the little girl._

* * *

Kiyoko was just stunned.

What did her sister mean she was going home?  
Why did her sister look so happy? Why just the last time they saw each other, they were practically beggers.  
Also, how could her sister come and get her, she was already sold to a brothel. Her sister was sold as well, her sister couldn't have that much power, could she?

She just sat in shock, until all the women came and pulled her up from her kneeling position. The House Mother said viciously to her,  
"Get up! The Aoitori of the esteemed Geisha House is speaking to you!"

Kiyoko was still in shock, processing the new information.  
_'Aoitori? She's the successorr to the Geisha House? How could that be? I saw her sold off as a slave. How could something like this happen?'  
_The little girl came and hugged the older sister.  
She reached only the chest of Kiyoko.

Kiyoko couldn't not say anything except this.

"Who are you?"

There was only silence. The little girl looked up and said nervoulsy,  
"What's wrong with you Kiyo-neesan? It's me, Kiyomi."  
She pulled herself out of her sister's grip and bent down to her sister's level.  
"Gomen, Kiyo-Chan...Gomen."

She hugged and squeezed her sister back as she stroked her little sister's back. Kiyomi asked suddenly,  
"What's happened to you, Kiyo-neesan? You look like you've been crying."

Kiyoko was certainly straightforward, "A man tried to hurt me." she said.  
Kiyomi gasped and pointed to the door, "C'mon. We better get out of here fast! Let's go!"

Kiyoko stumbled to get up and she walked to the sliding door, she looked at the house mother straight in the eye, "I don't understand."  
The house mother tried to look happy, but she still had that bitter face that she always showed Kiyoko. Shiyoka walked behind Kiyoko and tapped her slightly on her back,  
"Go with them." she said quietly.

Shiyoka was crying. Not at the fact that she was envious that Kiyoko was going to leave the brothel as a virgin, but the fact that now she could be a more respected lady instead of the cattle that whores were.  
She said quietly behind Kiyoko's ear, "I will miss you, little one."

Kiyoko nodded and walked out onto the hallway, her little sister right at her side.  
She opened the door out of the brothel and ran out to look up into the night sky.

It was so dark, but the stars showed a blue like colour.

The moon was so pale and bright, so big that it looked like if you reached high enough, you would be able to touch it's marble surface.

Aside from that, there was something of a small mist of rain, but it slowly started to rain harder.

The geisha women who had come with Kiyomi and Kiyomi herself were still indoors. They were accepting umbrellas from the house mother.

The rain was the only thing that Kiyomi could feel on her skin.  
She began to cry.

She never felt this good to be in the rain outside.

It felt like all the unpurities that was in the house was washing off her, the chains, the fears were going away.

Heavy tears fell, but her face stayed emotionless. Her little sister cried out to her,  
"Kiyo-neesan, you're getting all wet! Come here to get an umbrella!"

She turned back with the tears still falling, Kiyomi asked worriedly, "Are you crying?!"

Kiyoko turned forward to look back at the same view she was at before and lied,  
"I'm not crying. It's just the rain."

Kiyomi and the geishas walked up to Kiyoko and led her out of the district, past the houses, over the red bridge,  
and to the Gion.

* * *

_From that moment in the rain, I had been sold again into the Geisha house where my sister was the successor._

_It was decided when my parents died, that my sister would be an aoitori. She was beautiful and intelligent, all the geisha houses found her to be worthy. But to find arrangements with every geisha house for my younger sister must've been too hard, that my parents had forgotten to find arrangements for me._

_Her name changed from Tanake, Kiyomi to Nekki, Kiyomi.  
The same went for me._

_I had to thank my sister for saving me from that life.  
They had told me that she missed me and would cry endless nights.  
She had been asking for my whereabouts for ages. _

_Since she was the aoitori, they had to obey her little whim.  
They looked for me in the red-light district for a month before they finally found me. _

_I wasn't foolish. _

_Even though my sister was the aotori, that didn't give me any special favours. I came into the okiya as a shikomi. In words, I was to be a maid first. But I was still going to the Hanamachi school to learn. _

_If I was not learning, I was cleaning.  
If I was not cleaning, I was cooking.  
If I was not cooking, I was serving the older geishas.  
If I was not serving, I was running errends.  
If I was not running errends, I was learning. _

_It would be only a few monthes until I could go to the second stage, minarai, which I advanced to before most of the average girls who came.  
But I will tell you of that later._

_The price they had bought me at was unbelievable, but they had to buy me nonetheless.  
Barely enonugh time to sleep, I worked to repay the favor and my keep. _

_I worked for months until I was about 14, when I was 'discovered'._

_Who knew that in the first moment I rested, they would see I was special._

* * *

Kiyoko rushed everywhere.

She was almost used to everything in the Geisha house.  
It was similar to the Brothel.  
She still worked, but the work was harder.

She rushed to get the geishas their obis.  
"You there!" an older geisha ordered, "Get me my shamisan!"

She went to corner of the room and picked up the instrument.  
She handed it to the geisha. The geisha snapped, "Get it to me faster next time or else!"  
Kiyoko winced a bit, but bowed and walked out of the geisha's way.

The geisha stepped out into the hall with a more advanced maiko and left the Okiya gates.  
Kiyoko, left alone, saw the messy change rooms and started to sort everything into their correct spots. She heard the door slide open behind her. She turned around and asked, "Hai?"

There at the doorway was the aotori.  
She had on a new kimono. It was red and white with cranes, good luck.

Her hair was done up too, it was a wig. Her sister's hair was very short reaching only midback and was very thin. There was no way that her hair could be done up so high.

"Konichiwa, Kiyo-Chan. Before you say anything, let me put these away."  
She went over to the laudry hamper and put all of the under robes in the hamper.  
"What is it?" Kiyoko asked in a tired huff.

Kiyomi grabbed the hem of her older sister's short yukata sleeve.  
"You've got to see what one of the patrons gave mother! Then she told me that she didn't need it and she gave it to me!"

She pulled the young worker through the hallways past the old women.

The okiya was very large with many wings.  
It was amazing how Kiyomi could remember while Kiyoko couldn't.

They came to the large room which Kiyomo had all to herself.  
There were 2 other little girls around the age of 7. There were playing records too, but all the songs were nursary rhymes.

"Wow! Is that one of those cranks? I haven't seen one at all in here!" She kneeled in front of it and watched the black record spin as the needle scratched across it.

Kiyoko couldn't help herself but imagine herself as a famous geisha, even more important than her sister.  
But she couldn't tell anyone about her fantasy. All she could do was think about it and to pretend to herself.

"Kiyo-Chan, would you mind if I could dance to the music on here?" Kiyomi nodded happily and went to grab a record.  
"This one belongs to the ladies, they don't like our songs."

She lifted the needle and set the record, she started to spin it and slowly adjusted it. The other girls sat and crowded around the machine as Kiyomi spun the little hand crank.

* * *

The music was very deafening.

The flute sirened arcoss the paper room like a woman wailing and weeping.

The drums in the background showed a tension that could push someone of the edge.  
The crescedoes as it climaxed.

Then a violin part came in. It sounded just as sad as the flute and the duet between was as if a woman and a man was talking of their devotion.

The stepping sound of the shamisan gave a far away feel.

The music was too beautiful and it sent shivers down her back.  
Kiyoko slid the cord that was tying the sleeves back out and the sleeves fell gracefully over her arms as she lifted her hands up as though to sheild her eyes from an imaginary sun. Her hair that was tied up into a messy bun was undone and she tied it loosely back with the same cord.

Every beat, she stepped.  
She imagined the voices of the song,  
the actions of the instrument.

She thought of where the couple was and acted out the story she was telling herself.  
All eyes were on her, the only sounds were the music from the machine and the whip of yukata as she dove towards the ground and tossed her arms like something was pullling her apart.

Her dance showed passion and sadness.  
Her skills on her feet were more advanced, but she was able to attain it by watching closely on the geisha.

Tears grew on Kiyoko's face as she was coming to the story where both lovers had just met but was forced to part.  
Almost on cue, the 3 little girls started to cry as well, gasping tears.

She moved slowly when the legatos were extended, but would increase her speed when the violin cried from sadness.  
She felt her act was getting old.  
By luck, she saw 2 fans on a low vanity that her sister used.

She glided over and picked them up, the 3 heads and eyes still had their gazes on her.  
She thought to attempt a trick that she had seen the older students to.

She put her finger through one fan and spun it around. With a swift movement she connected the other fan so it looked like they were one. After Kiyoko stood still and whipped a fan high into the air, barely skimming the ceiling.  
She caught it and whipped it close then tossed the other with the same ease.

With one closed and one open, she balance the open fan on the tip of the other. When she saw she was losing balance, she flipped the fan and caught it with her other hand.  
At the while, she opened the other.

With the dying sound of the flute and the last screech of the violin, she crossed her arms across her chest and sank to her knees. The last tear that she shed to this tragic love story fell and hit the tatami mat.  
She bowed her head, so that her hair covered her face.

The small children bawled out and clapped.

"Arrigato." Kiyomi walked to her older sister and asked, "How can you dance like that? It's so sad."  
She replied, "I was just telling you a story."

When the last child stopped clapping, Kiyoko was surprised to still hear a clapping sound.

Her back was to the door and she turned around. There was the house mother with an stern face.  
She was clapping very slowly at a steady beat, "Brava."  
In the mother's eyes, she had tears and it stained her mascara. It wasn't just a few drops. It streaked the black make-up down to her chin and her eyes were red and puffy.

Kiyoko bowed down quickly and said in a panic,  
"I am so sorry, I know I should've been working, but...but..."

She couldn't find a way to explain her action, 'Oh, I just wanted to waste my time and dance. Hope you'll forgive me.'  
That would certainly get her a whipping.

"Well, this makes my mind up." the mother said with a small sound of pride. "The dance teacher wanted me to choose one of my own maikos and minarais to debut in a solo spot, unfortunately the aotori is just a baby, not yet either.  
How would you feel to dance in front of an audience, to debut and adnace ahead? In a fine kimono and earn a lot of money?"

Kiyoko was speechless. She was being given the chance to debut and possibly be a bigger geisha than she could hope.  
She nodded, "Hai, I would just love that!"

"Tomorrow for class, the dance teacher will give you a seperate teacher and he will train you to perform for this Azuma Odori." the teacher informed.

She processed this information, "Azuma Odori is in a few months...wait, what do you mean 'he'?"

The teacher answered, "Izawaki-Sensei has a son, who is the heir of the dance school, and he's very good at teaching. Most of the maikos and geishas who go to him say he's very good."

Kiyoko asked again, "So, he'll be teaching me and we'll be in a seperate room...only us...in a room ourselves?"

The mother said once more, "Yes, how else will you learn? Besides, are you afraid of men?"

Kiyoko didn't want anybody to know, but when she was 13, she was almost raped. Luckily Shiyoka came in time to save her. After that, she never really felt comfortable around men. Even when the doctors came and the old men that helped around the okiya, she would avoid them at all cost and if she had to be near them. She did like men, but she couldn't take it if even a finger touched her.

The house mother said smiling slyly,  
"But you should know that in the meantime, you should not just depend on getting on our good side by dancing. That is it wait until you're geisha, now I need you to go and take a new shamisan to Hachimatsu. A poor man accidently sat on her own and she can't play at all."

Kiyoko was quiet, but she bowed and left the room saying, "Domo arrigato for letting me see, Kiyo-Chan!"

She ran back to the change room and grabbed a new shamisan from the corner on the wall.

She went to the gate and put on her clogs, adjusting the red rope between the the tabi toes.  
She had wrapped the shamisan in a wool violet shawl. As soon as she opened the door, rain was already falling.

She took off her clogs and ran to the door.  
Behind the door was a parasol. She grabbed a bright red one, then the house mother stepped into view. "Remember to come back right away, or you won't have any supper."

Kiyoko nodded and stepped out into the rain.

The house mother was 2-faced. She could be nice at one moment then evil, or both at the same time.  
Depended on her mood.

* * *

She was running in the rain and the water splashed high with every step she took.  
The ends of her yukata was getting wet but she didn't dare to hold the precious instrument in one hand and risk dropping it. She strided quickly in the puddles and mud, going straight to the teahouse where she knew that most of the geishas of the Nekki okiya usually went to.  
She didn't want to slow down going around pools of water and whatnot.

She arrived at the door where an old man was guarding, "Why are you here?!" he wheezed angrily with his pipe in his mouth.

She flinched a bit at the sight of a man, but she was going to get this job done and show that she was a worthy to be at least a maiko. She suppressed her phobia of man a bit and put up her 'maiko' act.

Kiyoko batted her eyes, with her new sense of confidence, and said sweetly from copying the mother and geishas in front of guests, "I am here to see Hachimatsu-San, I have her instrument."

He was still then he motioned her to come in.  
He kept looking at her as she stepped in.

She lowered her face so that her eyelashes would seem more accented.  
She turned her head slowly back with a smile, "Arrigato."

She walked into the tea house and set her parasol at the door like at home.  
She slid the door big enough so that only her body size and instrument could fit through without any attention at herself.

They were in the middle of a show.  
2 geisha women were dancing.  
A continious liquid moving as they waved their fans and hid their faces behind them.

Kiyoko smiled, she knew that someday, men would beg to see her dance.

She stepped into the back, where all the geishas were talking to men and saying sweet things to them.

Their hair was high and spread with many flowers and pins.  
The collars were low to reveal a snake fang pattern of white make up and bare skin.  
Kimono so long with sleeves so elegant.

In her old life in the country side, she had not even seen her own mother wear a kimono.

She regonized Hachimatsu sitting with a fake smile on her, with the broken bits of her old instrument next to her.  
It was amazing how women could tell when females were lying, while most men couldn't.

Kiyoko was still at the doorway. She put the instrument against the wall and fixed herself up a bit so she wouldn't embarass herself.  
She let loose her hair, but tied only the ends making it look like 2 fish fins. She cleared her face completely of any loose strands and with her sleeve, wiped the water drops away. She tightened the wrap on her yukata and pulled it down a bit so that there were no wrinkles.  
She pinched her cheeks for that rosy glow and bit on her lips to have a full pinker look.

When she felt that she was presentable, she walked with her head low and in the same steps as any maiko and geisha.

She stopped a few yards away and unwrapped the shawl from the shamisan. She wrapped the long wool piece of violet around her and held the instrument in her hands.

She came to Hachimatsu and kneeled down to bow with her eyes slightly up.  
"Hachimatsu-San, I heard you needed a new instrument."

She handed her the shamisan while her head was still down.  
As soon as the weight left her hand, she looked up.

Her eyes wide so you could see the white complimenting the mix of dark wood and bright emerald in her eyes.  
She batted her eyes again and perked the ends of her mouth.  
The men looked deep into those pools that were masqueraded as eyes and asked in a half serious, half joking tone, "My, is this another geisha?"

The other geishas started laughing, to men it would be like they were laughing at a joke.  
To other women who knew, they were laughing in a mocking way.

They said slyly to the other men,  
"No, she is a shikomi. Look at the dirty yukata she wears. She spends all day cleaning. She hasn't even went for her dance exam."  
After they just laughed some more.

Kiyoko would've done to them what she did to animals who were unruly.  
No, she was a maiko now.  
She was chosen out of dozens of maikos to debut in a solo spot because of a dance she did that the house mother saw only once.  
That was an accomplishment.

She laughed as well and said,  
"Yes, I am a shikomi. But I am going to be a minarai and debut all at this year's Azuma Odori. And I hope that you _gentle_men would be so kind as to see me when I debut, it would make me very, _very_ happy."

One of the men, who had a geisha at his right and Kiyoko was sitting at his left, gazed upon Kiyoko. He had on expensive brand clothes that she reconized. He looked young and fir, no wrinkles. But he had a rather large nose and a pair of big ears. He was completely different from the man in the brothel but they both looked similar. Again, this man was handsome, she concluded that he could've been a big part of of a company.

He leaned in towards her and touched her hand on her lap under the kotatsu.  
She suddenly felt uneasy.

Being around men, that was something she could conquer easily, but having them touch her, she couldn't have.

"If you'll be doing your debut, I'll be there for sure to see you." he said as he kept looking at her.  
She looked at his hand that was rubbing her skin on top and knuckles. She looked up at the man. Suddenly, his young face morphed into the face of the man that had wanted her at the brothel.

After he said that and while she was looking, everyone stopped watching and went back to their own business. The geisha at his side eyed Kiyoko and took a sip of her tea.  
The man's hand went up her sleeve that she had forgotten to tie up and she froze.

The man apperently noticed and asked,  
"Are you okay. You look cold. You must've come here in the rain, didn't you?"

She replied, "Hai, I should get back now. Mother sent me to give Hachimatsu-San her shamisan, but I'm afraid I will get into trouble if I stay any longer."

"It still must be raining, if not, then it should be very wet outside. It would be better if you stay here for a bit longer." he argued.

Kiyoko slipped out of his hand and stood up, "I'm not kidding, I should go back to the okiya, or mother will have my head." she giggled when she finished.

He stood up with her and offered, "A young lady should not be out by herself, let me take you home. I won't take no for an answer."  
She noticed that she reached up between mid chest and shoulder.

The geisha who was with him frowned angrily and said, "Okiayu-San, if she could come here by herself, she can certainly get back herself!"

Kiyoko noticed Hachimatsu snickering under her breath because her patron, Okiayu, was fancying her.  
She concluded that the Hachimatsu and this geisha could be rivals. Or that Hachimatsu simply hated her and was laughing her because of that comment. She didn't really take this to thought.  
She had to focus on this man problem she had on her hands now.

She started walking backwards to the door and said back to him, "Your offer is to kind, but I don't want to trouble you."

"It won't trouble me." he retorted back.

She continued walking back, but he kept coming towards her. The only thing now she could feel was the angry glare of the geisha he had at his side. She wanted to go home straight away, so she felt she had no choice but to say, "Okay, if you insist. I would be very honored to ride with you."

He stopped walking towards her and smiled with his thin lips, "I would be even more honored to take you home."

* * *

They walked to the gate of the teahouse, it wasn't raining anymore, but was very wet.  
Luckily a man with a carriage ran by. Okiayu waved his hand and the carriage man stopped dead in his tracks, without splashing.

Okiayu held his hand out and Kiyoko held onto it. Well, not held, more like she had it an inch above his palm.  
She grabbed the edge of the carriage with the parasol in the same hand. When she stepped up, she had to hold his hand.

She sat on the edge, then he came in and say in the middle, trying to be close to her. The man at the front asked,  
"Where do you want to go now?"  
Okiayu scooted over closer and asked, "Which okiya do you live at?"

Kiyoko wrapped the shawl tighter, her hair brushing down the side of her face, and answered, "I'm living at the Nekki Okiya."

He leaned forward to the man and directed, "Nekki Okiya."  
Then he leaned in back. The man at the front started running.

Kiyoko had her head resting on her hand while she was looking out at the streets. Suddenly she felt her hair being moved. Okiayu had tried to be closer, in fact he was so close their legs were touching.  
He brushed her hair behind her ear and complimented,

"You have such a beautiful face, it would be a shame if it was hidden behind a veil of hair."

"You are too kind," she told him.

He laughed an awkward laugh and seemed to try and attempt to make a conversation.  
"What's rude is, you know my name, but I don't know yours."

"It's just fine."

"Would you tell me your name?"

"...My name is Kiyoko."

"What a pretty name."

"Arrigato."

He rambled on, "Such a pretty name for a pretty girl."  
It was an awkward slince.  
"Might you be the aotori of Nekki Okiya?"

It was possible that he knew she wasn't the aotori, but merely trying to get onto her good side.  
She replied,  
"I'm an not to aotori, but my little sister is."

It was quiet again, until he asked her, "How is it you are not the aotori? You are so beautiful and so young."

"My sister is much more fairer than I am."

"So modest." he said as he put his hand on the middle of her thigh.  
"I cannot imagine someone who could be more...more..."

He hesitated a bit then started to chuckle, his nose hunching up a bit.  
"Do you see what you do? I cannot even find words to describe your beauty."

"You are too kind, but you must tell all women that?"

"Not at all."

The man at the front scoffed and coughed out a,  
"Yeah right, he doesn't."

Kiyoko laughed silently to not offend Okiayu.  
She felt another chill go up her spine.

This time, Okiayu had moved his hand up higher.  
She reached her hand out to his, hoping to subtly move it. But when she just hovered closely over his hand, he turned his hand palm up and grasped her hand.  
He held her little calussed hand in his big soft hand.

He laughed a bit and looked at her.  
She kept her gaze done and was silently taking deep breaths to cope with this sudden attention.  
This was the second man who touched her since her parents died, excluding doctors.

Then the man at the front stopped running and the carriage shook a bit. Kiyoko took this chance to jerk her hand out of Okiayu's grip.  
Her hand was sweaty from being nervous, so it was easy to slide out of his almost frictionless hand.  
The carriage man said out loud, "We're here!"

Okiayu looked frustrated and he stepped out first.  
He waited for Kiyoko and helped her down.

The carriage man looked at Okiayu and held out his hand,  
"Hey, you give me 50 yen!"

Okiayu reached into his pocket and pulled out a 100 yen, he gave it to the man and said which made the man extra happy,  
"Keep the change."

The man rode away, in the meanwhile, Kiyoko was tight at the door of the Oikya, preparing to say her good bye to the man that she had just met. He approached her, but as soon as he was a few feet away, she bowed and thanked,  
"Arrigato, Okiayyu-San. For bringing me home. I hope that when I debut, you will be the first face I see in the audience."

She finished her thank you and lifted her head right up.  
Strangely, the wind was picking up and it blew her hair across her face.  
She cursed that the wind started blowing because almost immediately, he reached his hand out and brushed her hair behind her ear again.

He tilted his head a little to the left and smiled,  
"Let me walk you in to the okiya, I have to ask Nekki-San for something."

Kiyoko nodded and walked up the stone steps of the okiya. She held the wooden blocks that were the knobs and pushed them in opposite directions, Okiayu-San right behind her.  
She walked in first and waved her hand to show him to go in first.

She stood at the door as he stepped in.

He sat on the bench and took off his italien loafers.  
Kiyoko slid off her clogs and stepped onto the wooden phlatform, slipping her parasol into the corner where it was before.

She waited for him and helped him step up.  
Then as if by magic, the house mother walked down the hall and shouted without being seen yet, "Kiyoko! Where have you been! Gone for an hour and-" she stopped talking when she saw who was next to Kiyoko in the hallway.

"Oh, Okiayu-San. What brings you here?"

Okiayu bowed and answered, "I was just bringing Kiyoko-San home. I thought that a maiko should not be out in the street alone. But I should apologize first."

"Whatever for?" the house mother asked sweetly, so different from a few seconds ago.

"It is my fault that she didn't come home right away. I insisted that she sit with me for a while. In fact, there is something that I must ask you for."

"Oh, follow me into my office and we'll talk then."

Kiyoko was still standing in the same spot, the shawl around her, and knees together. "Kiyoko! Can you come into the office with Mother please?!" the house mother's voice rang sweetly.

Kiyoko ran to her office.

* * *

Kiyoko may have mistaken it when the house mother asked for Kiyoko to come into the office.

What the mother meant was, 'Stay here until we're finished!'  
She leaned against the doorway.

She was getting tired of just standing there doing nothing.

She leaned down and placed her ear against the paper thin door. She gasped a bit to hear what exactly Okiayu-San and Mother was talking about.

* * *

"You want Kiyoko to entertain you?"

"Yes, that is what I want."

Mother laughed, "You should know. She is not even a maiko. Kiyoko came to us just a few months ago. Until her debut, she is a shikomi. A maid. And even after, should she do well, she will be a minarai, not a maiko."

"I know that, but she interests me and I enjoy her company."

"Are you sure you want her? We have other ladies ready and need to train. You can help them more than Kiyoko."

"That would be nice, but I am willing to pay for her time and services."

"Hmmmmm. Fine, when would you like her."

"Would tomorrow be fine?"

"I think so. She has school tomorrow, but I think she'll be done by noon."

"Would you mind if I pick her up from there and take her with me?"

"Excellent, I will give you her bill when you bring her tomorrow."

"Arrigato, Nekki-San."

* * *

Kiyoko heard footsteps coming and she scrambled to her feet.

She stood obediently at the wall and when the door slid open, she bowed.  
The house mother turned to Kiyoko and said, "Kiyoko-tomorrow, at the end of your class, Okiayu-San will pick you up and have you for the day."

Kiyoko shuddered a bit, like before, she wasn't use to being alone with a man.

She faked a smile, "Really, how nice."  
Okiayu smiled and told her, "I can't wait for tomorrow."

The house mother started laughing falsely,  
"Now, Kiyoko, shouldn't you be walking to the door with Okiayu-San?"  
Kiyoko knew better than to argue with the house mother.  
She nodded and walked to the door with Okiayu.

She opened the door and bowed as he stepped out.

The sun was shining and most of the puddles were all dried up, leaving only dark coloured stains on the streets.  
He walked out and Kiyoko sighed.  
He was very nice, but she couldn't stand his smothering.

She turned back into the house and mother stood at the doorway with a big smile.

"Kiyoko, I am so proud of you. Still a shikomi and you already have someone requesting you.  
This has never happened to anybody in our okiya. And Okiayu-San is a very important man, one of the CEOs of a huge electric company!  
Do you know how accomplished you are now? If this keeps up, you'll be a maiko in no time!"

Kiyoko felt very proud.

* * *

_That afternoon was a turning point for me. _

_I was chosen to be in a solo debut.  
An important man requested my company and was willing to pay.  
I was already one step closer to be a geisha. _

_But it was not enough, only until I made enough money to leave would that be enough. _

_Now what happened the next day was..._

* * *

**To explain something a bit, this fanfic's title is "The Journal of A Maiko". **

**But there really isn't entries of Kiyoko when she was a maiko. **

**Sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed but I was only trying to progress it so that she could be a maiko to match the title. **

**Anyway, if you don't understand anything in this chapter, just leave it in your review and I'll explain it to you. **

**So please review.**


End file.
